Ten Ways the Law Harms the LGBT Community

Antigay measures validate bullies.

Anti-marriage equality measures go into state constitutions. State legislatures introduce bills to ban discussing homosexuality in schools, no matter the subject or context. A state governor revokes the health benefits that gay and lesbian partners of state employees had been previously been able to receive.

Sometimes these measures pass, and sometimes they don’t. But their very presence and the publicity they generate lead to a climate in which those who are inclined to bully or intimidate members of the LGBT community —– and other gender nonconformers — are empowered.